July 01, 2013

Stag party

Early summer and the stag beetle sightings are coming in. My husband found one a few days ago – dead, unfortunately – while bringing the dog back from her walk on Tooting Common, and a friend of mine has emailed me his annual report; his garden seems to be a favourite spot of theirs, and he has several fantastic specimens this year:

If you spot any, do remember to report them here. London (particularly south-west London) is a real stronghold for these amazing creatures, which are rare nationally.

To help them, don't be too tidy – and especially, leave some dead wood to decay in your garden. They live as a grub for six years, during which time they feed on decaying logs, helping to break them down and turn them slowly back into soil.

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About Me

Melissa Harrison won the John Muir Trust's Wild Writing award in 2010. Her first novel, CLAY, won the Portsmouth First Fiction award. Her second, AT HAWTHORN TIME, was shortlisted for the Costa and longlisted for the Baileys. She writes a Nature Notebook column for The Times and her most recent book is Rain: Four Walks in English Weather.